


Guardians of the Anomalies

by Annariel



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Primeval
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Flash Fic, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 09:18:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3351383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annariel/pseuds/Annariel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Professor Cutter has set out from Nova Prime to explore strange anomalous readings throughout the galaxy...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guardians of the Anomalies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fredbassett](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fredbassett/gifts).



> Thanks to fififolle for beta-reading.

"How's it going?" Ryan asked, sitting down next to Hart and peeling open a packet of rations. The two suns made it difficult to use terms like "midday" on this desolate rock of a planet, but his watch said it was lunch time on Nova Prime and he saw no particular reason to ignore it.

Hart spared his lover a quick glance but then looked back towards their joint charge, Professor Cutter, who was still circling the anomaly. "Not too bad. Nothing's come through anyway."

Hart's hands curled around the rifle that was stretched across his knee. They all knew just how quickly things could vanish up shit creek if anything did come through the anomaly.

"Any idea what we can expect?" Ryan asked. He surveyed the barren terrain. "Doesn't look like there's much life here."

"There's an atmosphere and some water. Connor's been modelling the planet's orbit. He reckons it was a lot cooler a million years back."

Ryan sighed. "So plenty of opportunity for large and unfriendly lifeforms them."

"Yeah."

Ryan checked his own gun. He couldn't quite believe this little research trip of Cutter's had got quite so out of hand. It had started when the man had spotted some anomalous readings from a monitoring station around a small moon. He'd loaned out one of the University's skiffs, packed provisions for a week, and ordered his two PhD students (Connor and Abby), and his researcher (Hart) on board. Ryan was only there because he'd been on leave and Hart had given him a panicked call from the launchpad asking if he could swing by and at least help Hart out a little with the potentially fraught job of keeping the show on the road and in one piece.

That was a month ago. As the spread of the phenomenon became clearer, Cutter had managed to beg, borrow and steal funds so that there were always enough supplies for "just one more week" of research out in the star lanes.

"You know that if you carry on with this research project you are going to need to hire more mercenaries, don't you?" Ryan said. "You're good with a gun, but no one else on the Professor's team stands much of a chance in a fight. We've been lucky so far, but it won't last."

Hart looked at him. "Thanks for coming along. It's made a big difference."

Ryan scowled. "Well, it would have been rotten spending my leave without you around, but I've already had to negotiate an extension. They'll want me back in a matter of days."

"Cutter has an application in for more funds. He says the chancellor is talking to Nova Security about getting you permanently seconded."

"When did this happen?"

"He told me about an hour ago. Do you mind? I can probably stop him."

Ryan shook his head. "No, this isn't like anything I've encountered before, and I definitely don't want you out here without me - but you still need more people."

There was a noise of roaring engines and an M-Ship screamed past low over their heads.

"That's cutting it a bit fine," Hart murmured, getting to his feet.

"I think it's damaged," Ryan said. A resounding crash and a plume of smoke from over the ridge suggested he was right.

"We had better see if they need help," Hart said, shouldering his rifle.

It was at that moment that a low roar sounded from out of the anomaly.

"That sounds bad," Ryan said, turning back towards the glittering light.

A huge head appeared through the time portal. Cutter gave a cry of surprise and stepped backwards, Connor and Abby both moved away rapidly towards Hart and Ryan.

"It's large," Hart said grimly.

The head was followed by a long sinuous body. It appeared they were looking at some kind of worm, only one that must be at least a hundred metres long. The body continued to coil out of the anomaly. 

"Everyone back to the ship!" Ryan shouted.

"Look at that thing!" Cutter said in a tone of wonder and Ryan's heart sank. 

Cutter was going to insist on observing the creature and would prove hard to budge. Ryan grabbed Abby and Connor, turned them around, and pushed them towards the ship.

"Go! Now!" he told them.

Thankfully they ran.

"Cutter!" Hart was shouting. He let off a shot at the worm but it bounced off the creature's hide.

Ryan ran forwards and crouched in the dusty ground, working to get a good line at an eye or something similar. The body continued coiling out of the anomaly. It opened a huge mouth and Ryan gulped to see the array of long sharp teeth inside. Even if they ran for the ship he wasn't sure they could get far enough fast enough and that thing could easily pull the ship out of the sky unless they gained height really fast. There was also the crashed ship over the ridge and its crew to worry about. 

There was an extremely loud bang. The creature's head was engulfed in a ball of flame. The body fell unceremoniously to the ground, trailing smoke.

Ryan could hear cheering. He turned his head to see a small furry person standing on a nearby outcrop, an extremely large gun supported on the ground in front of him. The person jumped up and down. Behind him stood something that looked like a large tree.

"Who are you?" Cutter demanded, slipping instantly into argumentative mode. "That was a valuable specimen! A life-form that has never before been seen or studied."

"So what?" asked the furry person aggressively. "It looked like it was about to eat you. I reckon you owe me."

"I am Groot!" said the tree.

Hart hurried forwards to cut between Cutter and their rescuers. "Thanks," he said. "We're very grateful."

"Well, it's nice someone appreciates the effort we went to."

"Did you come from that ship that crashed earlier?"

"It wasn't a crash. More a controlled emergency landing. But, yeah, that's us. We're the Guardians of the Galaxy."

Ryan had heard of them. It dawned on him that he might be looking at a solution to the problem of hiring suitable protection for the Professor, or at least, if not suitable protection, at least protection that would be more than capable of dealing with his bull-headedness. It was just going to be a matter of selling the idea in the right way.

"It'll be expensive repairing that ship of yours," Ryan began. "Maybe we can help you with that..."


End file.
